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Oxygen lives it up for new look

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Oxygen is getting rebranded in June as part of an effort to focus in on an audience that it has dubbed Generation O.

The network, which on Wednesday made its first upfront presentation to advertisers since being acquired last year by NBC Universal, is introducing a scheduling strategy that will see a new show or episode premiering every Tuesday at 10 p.m., starting with "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" on June 17.

Oxygen also announced three projects in development: "Dance Your Ass Off," a weight-loss competition show; "Glamazons," starring former "America's Got Talent" contestants; and the tentatively titled "Meltdown," featuring the stories behind celebrity "collapses." "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" also was given a renewal.

During its upfront at the Soho House in New York, Oxygen said the network is getting a new logo and tagline — "Live Out Loud," which is intended to represent women who "like to look good, feel good and have fun living life on their own terms" — that will begin rolling out across all of the network's platforms in June.

The network has labeled its audience as Generation O, which targets the 18-49 demo while "hyper-focusing" on women 18-34. It's defined as young trenders who consume heavily and influence others' spending patterns.

Oxygen also announced a multiplatform content strategy dubbed Oxygen Everywhere, which will include a Web site relaunch in June and the launch of a video player at o2.oxygen.com, where viewers can watch exclusive Oxygen video including outtakes, webisodes and extras. Through a partnership with NBC Everywhere, Oxygen also will extend its strategy to colleges, where content will appear on screens at 186 campuses nationwide.

"When NBCU acquired Oxygen last year, our goal was simple: We needed to add value and momentum to the company's cable portfolio," said Lauren Zalaznick, president of Bravo Media and Oxygen Media. "By defining the Oxygen audience, launching the new brand and tagline and building out our Oxygen Everywhere strategy, we are now well positioned to bring meaningful value to our advertisers and to the company."

Oxygen said that for 2007, primetime viewers in the women 18-34 increased by 34% over 2006, while women 18-49 viewers increased by 27%.

"Oxygen's young, trend-obsessed audience is incredibly valuable to advertisers," Oxygen GM Jason Klarman said. "They want the latest of everything, are willing to pay for it, and they love to spread the word."

Oxygen also has scheduled a "Bad Girls Club" reunion hosted by Star Jones for May 20 and a countdown special titled "Oxygen's 25iest: Power Couples" hosted by Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott for June 10. Also coming up is new series "Coolio's Rules," starring the rapper and his family.